Spin relaxation results in spin decoherence and a finite spin lifetime, which are detrimental to spintronic devices. To achieve a long spin lifetime desirable for spintronic devices, elucidating the spin relaxation mechanism and factors influencing the spin lifetime is of vital importance. Here, we investigate the spin relaxation in $X$-wave magnets ($X=p,d,f,g,i$) with Rashba spin-orbit coupling within the framework of the D'yakonov-Perel' mechanism. We calculate the tensor of the spin relaxation rate for an arbitrary Néel vector direction in the regime of a weak spin-orbit field. It is found that the spin relaxation rate matrices are anisotropic and can be dictated by magnetic point group symmetry. As an illustration, we study the spin relaxation for a Néel vector along the [001] direction. For the $p$-wave magnet, we derive analytical expressions for the temporal evolution of spins. Moreover, we show that the spin relaxation is highly controllable by the Néel vector and the spin relaxation rate is proportional to the momentum relaxation time, Rashba, and spin-split strengths. Our results shine more light on the fundamental understanding of the spin relaxation mechanism in unconventional $X$-wave magnets.

Close

PrevNext

View figure in article

• Rashba coupling
• Spin relaxation
• Spintronics
• Altermagnets